Mrs. Putnal's Newsletter-January 26, 2017

Lower School Newsletter from Wade Putnal

January 26, 2017

Open House for Prospective Families: Please invite your friends and family to tour our school on Sunday, January 29^th, 3-5 pm, beginning in the Clark Fine Arts lobby. Prospective students (Rising 3K to 12^th grade) and families are invited! If you know someone we should contact, email: admissions@fpdmacon.org

Spotlight on the Gardens: The Garden-to-Table program has been very active picking vegetables even though the weather has been cold at times.  In the last two weeks, 3rd grade and 5th grade classes have picked cool weather crops such as broccoli, chard, kale, parsley and chives to present to the cafeteria. We look forward to harvesting our Brussels sprouts and carrots later in February too.

‘Tis the Season …. for colds, viruses, flu, and lice – Oh My!  Parent help is the best defense against these. Please wait 24 hours after fever has subsided before sending your child to school. Please encourage good hand washing procedures as well. Hopefully being proactive and checking at home for lice will resolve this. For more info on looking for or treating lice, see link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlj2FrOqeHE

We are excited to welcome author and illustrator Henry Cole who will visit us Thursday, Feb. 2^nd as part of our Mixon-Fincher Young Author and Illustrator Week.

Mixon-Fincher Young Author/Illustrator Celebration for 1^st-5^th grades will take place in your child’s classroom on Friday, February 3^rd – 8:15 to 9am. Parents are invited to visit as students celebrate being young authors and illustrators.

What a gift! THANK YOU for all the supplies you collected during Spirit Week for Campus Clubs!

FPD Center for Discovery spring classes are underway, but you can still find a great class to enjoy. Pick up a program and registration form in the office or online at: www.fpdmacon.org/center-for-discovery

It’s time to purchase your 2016-2017 yearbook! Our FPD yearbook staff has worked diligently on this collection of events from the year. Personalized orders due Feb. 3; Non-personalized orders due April 6. Visit: www.yearbookordercenter.com  to order by school name.

EMPTY BOWLS EVENT: On Friday, February 3, during the girls’ and boys’ basketball games, our Fine Arts department is hosting an event to raise awareness of hunger and homelessness in Macon. Beautiful ceramic bowls, spoons, vases, platters, etc., are currently being created by FPD 5^th-12^th grade art students, and will be available for sale at the event. Everyone is invited to the FPD cafeteria during the ballgames where you may purchase homemade soup or chili, as well as dessert and a drink. All money raised will be donated to local agencies fighting hunger and homelessness. For info, contact Nancy Butler or Holly Scott.

Please label all jackets, coats, sweaters, hats, mittens, lunchboxes, etc. If you are missing something, please check Elementary “Lost & Found.”

Backpack Ministry: Immediate needs are fruit cups, vienna sausages, and Capri Sun juice packs.

All long-sleeve t-shirts are 20% off at THE VIKING STORE!  “Viking Bucks” spending cards make great gifts for Valentine’s Day or any occasion.  Remember we have everything a Viking needs for cold weather: headwear, scarves, long-sleeve spirit shirts, sweatshirts and jackets (all uniform-approved) as well as Land’s End plush blankets. We carry Land’s End uniform shirts and girls’ sweaters also. Open school days 7:45am - 3:30pm and located in the MAC building near the cafeteria.

*** COMING UP ***

·         FPD Middle School Theatre presents “Baker Street Irregulars,” Thursday -Friday, Jan. 26-27, 7 pm. The story of the street urchins who helped Sherlock Holmes solve mysteries will be brought to life by more than 20 middle school performers. Admission is free for students. Tickets for the general public are $5.00 and can be purchased at the door or online at: https://fpd.booktix.com/

·         FPD seniors Maggie Renfroe and Kirsten Beach will perform Sat., Jan. 28^th at a benefit concert for Fuller Center for Housing in Macon. Tickets $10. Info: www.libraryballroom.com

·         Re-enrollment Due – Wednesday, February 1^st

·         Mixon-Fincher Celebration in classrooms, Friday, Feb. 3^rd – 8:15 to 9 am.

·         Lower School Chapel is Tuesday, February 28^th, with 3^rd grade leading, from 12:00-12:25pm. Parents are always welcome to join us for worship in the Clark Fine Arts Center.

·         Dress Down Day for Daybreak Center for the homeless - Friday, Feb. 10^th

·         Winter Band Concert – Thursday, Feb. 16^th; 7:00 pm

·         President’s Day Holiday – No School – Monday & Tuesday, February 20^th and 21^st 

Counselor's Corner

What makes my child act this way? (Part 2)

The previous Counselor’s Corner newsletter outlined the five subliminal goals which a child seeks to achieve. As a refresher, the goals are:

·        Contact (a sense of belonging)

·        Power (a measure of control)

·        Protection (keeping their self- esteem secure)

·        Withdrawal (a timeout from emotional stress)

·        Challenge (building their strength of identity)

Each of these goals can be achieved in a positive way or a negative way. As parents we can help provide positive channels for reaching them. An excellent clue to what our child needs when he is acting out is found in how his behavior makes us feel. Once we determine the goal, we can be more direct in providing the positive channel. We’ve discussed how undue attention-seeking makes us annoyed, clueing us that the child needs to feel a sense of belonging through the family, church, teams, and other extra-curricular activities.

When we feel angry, there is a good chance that our child is seeking power in a negative way. He is seeking power through rebelling, with passive or active resistance to what you desire or expect from him. Perhaps he is going through some “growing pains” and striving for a little bit more independence.

Overly strict or authoritative parents may experience more of this struggle, because the child is pushing back from what he feels. There is an axiom that states: “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” If you sense this may be you, try spending more time showing interest in the things with which he is interested. Be sure and tell him how much you love and admire him. Find his strengths and compliment him on them regularly.

However, some children’s personalities are naturally more geared toward wanting independence. There are milestones when your child may feel that he needs to break away a bit. This happens more dramatically in the early teen years. It can be very painful if you have enjoyed an extra close and warm relationship in earlier years.

A great way to provide positive strides to this goal is to give your child a sense that he owns some of the decisions which are being made. Of course, these choices need to be ones with which you are comfortable. For instance, after having a discussion on what you think your child’s gifts are, you may outline the choices he has to pick from with his extra-curricular activities. Negotiating within your own comfort zone and giving your child the opportunity to make some of the everyday decisions helps him to gain the sense of power and control he is after.

Yearbook Orders

Personalized Yearbooks are on sale at www.yearbookordercenter.com . The cost is $80.  The order number is 1881, or you can use the school name to enter FPD’s order page.  The deadline for personalized yearbooks is 2/3/17. 

Thank you,

Yearbook Staff

Spirit Week

Dress Up themes for Spirit Week are listed in Mrs. Putnal's newsletter.

Please consider donating next week in our Spirit Week collection competition.  Here are the details:

Elementary’s Spirit Week Collection and Donations will benefit THE Campus Club Ministry at Strong Tower Church here in Macon.

This ministry is set up to serve students in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood who need afterschool care and help with homework and studying. We have FPD high school students and teachers that are involved. Some FPD students go each week to help the children there.

The Campus Club is in need of any kind of school supplies…(single/3/5 subject notebooks, markers, glue sticks, crayons, notebook paper, stickers, pencils, pens, scissors, etc.) and for playground items such as playground balls, Frisbees, jump ropes.

Students may bring in items Tuesday- Thursday next week and we will let our high school students deliver the donations.

Mrs. Putnal's Newsletter January 12, 2017

Lower School Newsletter from Wade Putnal

January 12, 2017

Spirit Week is next week – Jan 17-20!!  Elementary has its own special dress-down days Tuesday-Friday to celebrate our school spirit! (This is different from middle and high school)

* “Neon Glow Day” Tuesday

* “Wacky Tacky and Crazy Sock” Wednesday

* “Favorite Crayola Color” Thursday (1 color head-to-toe)

* “Proud to be an American” Friday (red, white & blue; stars & stripes)

Community Service Outreach NEXT WEEK – All of elementary is encouraged to send in school supplies (notebooks, glue sticks, crayons, markers, etc.) for Campus Clubs, a local mentoring and tutoring program for at-risk children in our community. Supplies collected Tues., Jan. 17-Thurs. Jan 19.

Open House for Prospective Families: Please invite your friends and family to tour our school on Sunday, January 22^nd, 3-5 pm, beginning in the Clark Fine Arts lobby. Prospective students (Rising 3K to 12^th grade) and families are invited! If you know someone we should contact, email: admissions@fpdmacon.org

FPD Center for Discovery spring class registration is happening! Open to the community, lots of new classes are available for 3K to Adults. Bring a friend and join a class together! Program guide and registration is in office or online: www.fpdmacon.org/center-for-discovery

Yearbook Ordering: It’s time to purchase your 2016-2017 yearbook! Our FPD yearbook staff has worked diligently on this collection of events from the year. Personalized orders due Feb. 3; Non-personalized orders due April 6. Visit: www.yearbookordercenter.com

to order by school name.

EMPTY BOWLS EVENT: On Friday, February 3, during the girls’ and boys’ basketball games, our Fine Arts department is hosting an event to raise awareness of hunger and homelessness in Macon. Beautiful ceramic bowls, spoons, vases, platters, etc., are currently being created by FPD 5^th-12^th grade art students, and will be available for sale at the event. Everyone is invited to the FPD cafeteria during the ballgames where you may purchase homemade soup or chili, as well as dessert and a drink. All money raised will be donated to local agencies fighting hunger and homelessness. For information, contact Nancy Butler or Holly Scott.

The Viking Store has everything a Viking needs for cold weather: headwear, scarves, long sleeve spirit shirts, sweatshirts and jackets (all uniform-approved). We carry Land’s End uniform shirts and girls’ sweaters also. Visit us during Varsity basketball games!  Open school days 7:45am - 3:30pm and located in the MAC building near the cafeteria. 

LIBRARY NEWS: It’s almost visiting author time! We are excited to announce that author and illustrator Henry Cole will visit us on Thursday, Feb. 2^nd as part of our Mixon-Fincher Young Author and Illustrator Week. (Flyers available in office to pre-order an autographed book.) **Pre-order forms and checks due Thursday, Jan. 19th.

VIDEOS: Don’t miss the great collection of videos that our FPD Visual Media Coordinator Sidney Middlebrooks has produced about our wonderful school faculty, administration and students. Visit: www.facebook.com/fpdmacon or https://vimeo.com/194879744 and help us share the FPD story!

BACKPACK MINISTRIES: As we restock in the new year, we are asking all grade levels to participate and bring items. Typically, we always need fruit cups, Vienna sausages, and juice pouches. Thanks for helping as we minister to needy children in our community.

Mrs. Krejci is starting an elementary “Orff Ensemble Performing Group,” open to 3^rd & 4^th graders who love playing the Orff instruments, recorders, and drums. It will meet in the elementary music room on late-start Wednesday mornings from 8:10 am - 8:45 am. The final “come and see” session, where interested students may come audition, is Wednesday, Jan. 18^th. Contact Mrs. Krejci with any questions!

Parents – You do not want to miss getting a copy of our very own Counselor Susan Causey’s published work, “Put on Your Ruby Slippers, We’re Heading Home – Straight Parenting in a Twister World.” This is a “must have” collection of her inspiring, guiding, and encouraging words related to parenting. Copies are available for $15 for FPD parents in the elementary office. A great “love” gift for a loved one.

*** COMING UP ***

** MLK Holiday – Monday, January 16^th – NO SCHOOL

** Lower School Chapel dates are Tuesday, Jan. 17^th and Jan. 31^st, from 12:00-12:25pm. Parents are always welcome to join us in the Clark Fine Arts Center as we worship together.

** FPD students Maggie Renfroe and Kirsten Beach will perform Sat., Jan. 28^th at a benefit concert for Fuller Center for Housing in Macon. Tickets $10. Info: www.libraryballroom.com

** “Heroes & Highnesses Brunch” is Sat., Jan. 28, at First Baptist Church of Gray, 10 am to noon. Tickets are $10. Info flyer is in our elementary office.

** Mixon-Fincher Young Author/Illustrator Celebration in your child’s classroom, Friday, Feb. 3^rd – 8:15 to 9am. Parents are invited to visit as students celebrate being young authors and illustrators.